Biography


* 119 publications
* h-index 32 (Web of Science)

Prof. Jennifer Mahony graduated with a BSc in Food Science and Technology from Cork Institute of Technology in 2003. She pursued a PhD on the subject of prophage-encoded bacteriophage resistance mechanisms in the dairy bacterium Lactococcus lactis. After graduating with her PhD in 2008, she continued to research phage-host interactions in her post-doctoral research. These studies were primarily focused on the phage-host interactions of the lactic acid bacteria that are employed in dairy fermentations while they also encompassed those pertaining to food spoilage microorganisms such as Lactobacillus brevis and pathogenic organisms such as Shigella. She has performed research secondments in the University of Groningen and CNRS Marseille and been involved in multidisciplinary teams involving structural biologists, glycobiologists and biochemists to provide detailed mechanistic insights into these intricate relationships. Now a professor of molecular food microbiology, Prof. Mahony leads a research team dedicated to understanding the mechanisms by which phages infect their hosts and how bacteria respond and evolve in order to adapt and survive. Additionally, her team is focused on defining the cell surface structures that are central to the interactions of lactic acid bacteria and how knowledge of these may be exploited to (a) improve the sustainability of food production systems, (b) develop novel phage-based therapeutic products and (c) define the impact of phages and bacterial cell surface polysaccharides on complex microbial communities and human health.

The multi-disciplinary approach to her research has led to the publication of research articles in high impact journals including PNAS, Nature, mBio, Molecular microbiology, among others. The research performed by her research team is/has attracted funding by national funding agencies including Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council; foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Melissa Foundation; and industry partners such as SaccoSystem, DSM Food Specialties and Carbery. 

* 119 publications
* h-index 32 (Web of Science)

Prof. Jennifer Mahony graduated with a BSc in Food Science and Technology from Cork Institute of Technology in 2003. She pursued a PhD on the subject of prophage-encoded bacteriophage resistance mechanisms in the dairy bacterium Lactococcus lactis. After graduating with her PhD in 2008, she continued to research phage-host interactions in her post-doctoral research. These studies were primarily focused on the phage-host interactions of the lactic acid bacteria that are employed in dairy fermentations while they also encompassed those pertaining to food spoilage microorganisms such as Lactobacillus brevis and pathogenic organisms such as Shigella. She has performed research secondments in the University of Groningen and CNRS Marseille and been involved in multidisciplinary teams involving structural biologists, glycobiologists and biochemists to provide detailed mechanistic insights into these intricate relationships. Now a professor of molecular food microbiology, Prof. Mahony leads a research team dedicated to understanding the mechanisms by which phages infect their hosts and how bacteria respond and evolve in order to adapt and survive. Additionally, her team is focused on defining the cell surface structures that are central to the interactions of lactic acid bacteria and how knowledge of these may be exploited to (a) improve the sustainability of food production systems, (b) develop novel phage-based therapeutic products and (c) define the impact of phages and bacterial cell surface polysaccharides on complex microbial communities and human health.

The multi-disciplinary approach to her research has led to the publication of research articles in high impact journals including PNAS, Nature, mBio, Molecular microbiology, among others. The research performed by her research team is/has attracted funding by national funding agencies including Science Foundation Ireland and the Irish Research Council; foundations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Melissa Foundation; and industry partners such as SaccoSystem, DSM Food Specialties and Carbery.